Categoría: Marco carvajal

IRVING, Texas, March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter, a riverfront hotel with breathtaking views of the Ohio River and Cincinnati’s downtown skyline, and in proximity to Cincinnati’s eclectic food and beverage scene, has completed a multi-million-dollar renovation.

In addition to the completed renovations of the property’s 321 guestrooms, meeting spaces, and public spaces, the new M Club and Marriot Greatroom are now available to both leisure and business travelers looking to catch up on work, grab a quick bite to eat in between meetings, or wind down at the end of an exhausting day.

The property’s spacious guestrooms have been modernized. Each of the guestrooms has all new case and soft goods, enhanced resilient wood-look flooring, a walk-in shower, an in-room safe, complimentary WiFi, a well-lit desk, a coffee maker, mini-refrigerator, and a smart TV. Many of the property’s guestrooms also offer guests incredible balcony views of the not only colorful but vibrant Cincinnati skyline, and the city’s beloved Ohio River.  

Conveniently connected to the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, which has 100,000 square feet of event and meeting space, Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter has nearly 13,000 square feet of total event and meeting space. All of the property’s event rooms have been renovated, including the Riverview ballroom, which doubled in size to 4,200 square feet, and includes floor-to-ceiling windows and a waterfront private balcony providing spectacular panoramic views of the Cincinnati skyline, and the Kentucky room, which expanded to 1,155 square feet and has floor-to-ceiling windows. The events and meeting space has 10 breakout rooms in total.

Also new to the property is the 1,700-square-foot M Club, a 24/7 lounge where Marriott Bonvoy members of all levels can retreat, recharge and refocus; and a reinvented Marriott Greatroom, which offers guests modern and comfortable spaces, food & beverage, technology, guest services, and ambiance.

Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter also has an on-site fitness center, a Marriott Health & Fitness Club, a full-service business center, complimentary high-speed internet, an indoor lap pool, and other amenities.

One of Cincinnati’s top riverfront hotels, the Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter is only steps away from the Ohio River, and within walking distance to Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ballpark.

AWH Development, a full-service real estate development company, renovated the property. Spire Hospitality, a nationally recognized third-party hotel management company manages it. Both companies are owned by AWH Partners, LLC, a privately held real estate investment firm that purchased the Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter with Opterra Capital in 2018.

Media Contact:
CJ Arlotta
cj@cjmediasolutionsllc.com

 

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SOURCE Spire Hospitality

NEW YORK, March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — More than 85 percent of families living in rural areas across Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras face food insecurity, according to a household survey conducted by a coalition of humanitarian and development organizations, including Action Against Hunger, a leader in the global fight against hunger. Two additional surveys conducted by the organization in Colombia and Peru also indicate alarmingly high levels of hunger as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even before the pandemic, more than 39% of people in Central America suffered from food insecurity, and new data suggests the pandemic and extreme weather could cause this number to triple in many parts of this region.

«Although Latin America has more than 19 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, the people we serve say they are more afraid of hunger than the virus,» said Miguel García, Action Against Hunger’s Regional Director for Central America. «Those who depended on informal daily labor have lost their incomes because of movement restrictions. In the markets, food is increasingly expensive because of the pandemic’s economic and commercial consequences.»  

One of the most critical areas is known as the Dry Corridor, which extends from Nicaragua to Guatemala and includes parts of El Salvador and Honduras, where the World Food Program says at least 1.4 million people are in need of food assistance. Action Against Hunger and its partners surveyed thousands of households in this region in October and November 2020. In one sample of 3,700 homes, 86% of families were experiencing food insecurity.

Adding to the socioeconomic damage caused by the pandemic are the impacts of severe drought in 2018 and 2019, along with hurricanes Iota and Eta, which hit the region in November 2020 and caused displacement and crop loss. Families faced with extreme poverty and hunger have gone into debt, resorted to borrowing from family or friends, or are selling their scarce possessions.

«Government protection programs for people in the worst socioeconomic situations can prevent millions of people from falling into misery. Yet, the roll out of these programs has been extremely uneven across the region, and millions of people not getting the support they need, including nutritious food,» García explained.

Action Against Hunger and its partners, with the support of the European Union, has set up a support network that has provided food assistance and prevented more than 50,000 people in rural communities in the Dry Corridor from reaching emergency hunger levels.

Additional new data shows increasing poverty and hunger in Colombia and Peru as well. In a separate survey of 34,000 families in Colombia, 98% said they could not meet all of their basic needs, including food and housing. The tight living conditions among migrant families also increases the potential spread of COVID-19. The survey of Colombians, Venezuelans and bi-nationals living in Colombia was conducted by Action Against Hunger and its partners over the course of the pandemic, from April 2020 through January 2021.

«More than 58% reported living in overcrowded conditions,» said John Orlando, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Colombia. «13% of the time, as many as five people are forced to share a tiny bedroom.»

In Peru, household incomes have fallen by an average of 33%. The «common pots» (or «ollas communes») – self-managed community kitchens that are primarily run by women – have become an escape from hunger for thousands of Peruvians.

«According to our survey of 222 families in metropolitan Lima, 8 out of 10 families saw their incomes fall. Three out of four of those surveyed are food insecure. Venezuelan families, large numbers of whom have arrived seeking refuge in recent years, are particularly impacted,» América Arias, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Peru, noted. «Especially worrying is reduced iron in diets, which is key to fighting anemia.»

Cash assistance is one of the most effective humanitarian interventions in this crisis. «On the one hand, it is a dignified alternative, which gives people the option of how to address their most urgent needs,» said Orlando. «Well-run cash transfer programs also allow the most vulnerable to engage with the local economy. This injection of cash in the marketplace also strengthens the local economies in the communities where these families live.»

Action Against Hunger is calling for $78 million from the international community to fund its three-pronged regional response that includes:

• Humanitarian relief for families by providing food and cash assistance, treatment for malnutrition, as well as hygiene materials and protective equipment for COVID-19 prevention.
• Community support by strengthening health systems and clinics and small business support to stimulate job creation.
• Data collection and analysis to assess the distinctive drivers of hunger on a local level and tailor interventions with local partners.

«We want to step up as a safety net of last resort for the thousands of people who are going hungry as a result of the pandemic. We are trying to improve nutrition and access to water, and help people get their livelihoods back. We’re going to work tirelessly to achieve this,» said Benedetta Lettera, Desk Officer for Action Against Hunger’s programs in Latin America.

More Details

Action Against Hunger conducted three separate surveys to measure growing hunger in Latin America:

• In Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, Action Against Hunger, together with our partners, Oxfam, COOPI, Trócaire, and We World-GVC, surveyed 3,700 families between October 20 – November 13, 2020.
• In Columbia, 34,000 Colombians, Venezuelans and bi-nationals were surveyed by phone or in person between April 2020 through January 2021. This study was conducted by Action Against Hunger, Danish Refugee Council, and Norwegian Refugee Council.
• Finally, 222 families in metropolitan Lima, Peru, were surveyed by Action Against Hunger between September 14 – December 11, 2020

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger is the world’s hunger specialist and leader in a global movement that aims to end life-threatening hunger for good within our lifetimes. For more than 40 years, the humanitarian and development organization has been on the front lines, treating and preventing hunger across nearly 50 countries. It served more than 17 million people in 2019 alone.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/452004/Action_Against_Hunger_Logo.jpg

 

SOURCE Action Against Hunger

NEW YORK, March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — More than 85 percent of families living in rural areas across Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras face food insecurity, according to a household survey conducted by a coalition of humanitarian and development organizations, including Action Against Hunger, a leader in the global fight against hunger. Two additional surveys conducted by the organization in Colombia and Peru also indicate alarmingly high levels of hunger as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even before the pandemic, more than 39% of people in Central America suffered from food insecurity, and new data suggests the pandemic and extreme weather could cause this number to triple in many parts of this region.

«Although Latin America has more than 19 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, the people we serve say they are more afraid of hunger than the virus,» said Miguel García, Action Against Hunger’s Regional Director for Central America. «Those who depended on informal daily labor have lost their incomes because of movement restrictions. In the markets, food is increasingly expensive because of the pandemic’s economic and commercial consequences.»  

One of the most critical areas is known as the Dry Corridor, which extends from Nicaragua to Guatemala and includes parts of El Salvador and Honduras, where the World Food Program says at least 1.4 million people are in need of food assistance. Action Against Hunger and its partners surveyed thousands of households in this region in October and November 2020. In one sample of 3,700 homes, 86% of families were experiencing food insecurity.

Adding to the socioeconomic damage caused by the pandemic are the impacts of severe drought in 2018 and 2019, along with hurricanes Iota and Eta, which hit the region in November 2020 and caused displacement and crop loss. Families faced with extreme poverty and hunger have gone into debt, resorted to borrowing from family or friends, or are selling their scarce possessions.

«Government protection programs for people in the worst socioeconomic situations can prevent millions of people from falling into misery. Yet, the roll out of these programs has been extremely uneven across the region, and millions of people not getting the support they need, including nutritious food,» García explained.

Action Against Hunger and its partners, with the support of the European Union, has set up a support network that has provided food assistance and prevented more than 50,000 people in rural communities in the Dry Corridor from reaching emergency hunger levels.

Additional new data shows increasing poverty and hunger in Colombia and Peru as well. In a separate survey of 34,000 families in Colombia, 98% said they could not meet all of their basic needs, including food and housing. The tight living conditions among migrant families also increases the potential spread of COVID-19. The survey of Colombians, Venezuelans and bi-nationals living in Colombia was conducted by Action Against Hunger and its partners over the course of the pandemic, from April 2020 through January 2021.

«More than 58% reported living in overcrowded conditions,» said John Orlando, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Colombia. «13% of the time, as many as five people are forced to share a tiny bedroom.»

In Peru, household incomes have fallen by an average of 33%. The «common pots» (or «ollas communes») – self-managed community kitchens that are primarily run by women – have become an escape from hunger for thousands of Peruvians.

«According to our survey of 222 families in metropolitan Lima, 8 out of 10 families saw their incomes fall. Three out of four of those surveyed are food insecure. Venezuelan families, large numbers of whom have arrived seeking refuge in recent years, are particularly impacted,» América Arias, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Peru, noted. «Especially worrying is reduced iron in diets, which is key to fighting anemia.»

Cash assistance is one of the most effective humanitarian interventions in this crisis. «On the one hand, it is a dignified alternative, which gives people the option of how to address their most urgent needs,» said Orlando. «Well-run cash transfer programs also allow the most vulnerable to engage with the local economy. This injection of cash in the marketplace also strengthens the local economies in the communities where these families live.»

Action Against Hunger is calling for $78 million from the international community to fund its three-pronged regional response that includes:

• Humanitarian relief for families by providing food and cash assistance, treatment for malnutrition, as well as hygiene materials and protective equipment for COVID-19 prevention.
• Community support by strengthening health systems and clinics and small business support to stimulate job creation.
• Data collection and analysis to assess the distinctive drivers of hunger on a local level and tailor interventions with local partners.

«We want to step up as a safety net of last resort for the thousands of people who are going hungry as a result of the pandemic. We are trying to improve nutrition and access to water, and help people get their livelihoods back. We’re going to work tirelessly to achieve this,» said Benedetta Lettera, Desk Officer for Action Against Hunger’s programs in Latin America.

More Details

Action Against Hunger conducted three separate surveys to measure growing hunger in Latin America:

• In Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, Action Against Hunger, together with our partners, Oxfam, COOPI, Trócaire, and We World-GVC, surveyed 3,700 families between October 20 – November 13, 2020.
• In Columbia, 34,000 Colombians, Venezuelans and bi-nationals were surveyed by phone or in person between April 2020 through January 2021. This study was conducted by Action Against Hunger, Danish Refugee Council, and Norwegian Refugee Council.
• Finally, 222 families in metropolitan Lima, Peru, were surveyed by Action Against Hunger between September 14 – December 11, 2020

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger is the world’s hunger specialist and leader in a global movement that aims to end life-threatening hunger for good within our lifetimes. For more than 40 years, the humanitarian and development organization has been on the front lines, treating and preventing hunger across nearly 50 countries. It served more than 17 million people in 2019 alone.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/covid-19-and-climate-shocks-driving-dramatic-increase-in-hunger-in-latin-america-new-studies-find-301240402.html

SOURCE Action Against Hunger

ITASCA, Ill., March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — For the first time since 2007, preliminary data from the National Safety Council show that as many as 42,060 people are estimated to have died in motor vehicle crashes in 2020. That marks an 8% increase over 2019 in a year where people drove significantly less frequently because of the pandemic. The preliminary estimated rate of death on the roads last year spiked 24% over the previous 12-month period, despite miles driven dropping 13%. The increase in the rate of death is the highest estimated year-over-year jump that NSC has calculated since 1924 – 96 years. It underscores the nation’s persistent failure to prioritize safety on the roads, which became emptier but far more deadly.  

An estimated 4.8 million additional roadway users were seriously injuredⁱ in crashes in 2020, and the estimated cost to society was $474 billion. With the alarming picture painted by these data, NSC is urging President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to commit to zero roadway deaths by 2050 – a call NSC and more than 1,500 other organizations and individuals made in January in a letter to the new administration.

«It is tragic that in the U.S., we took cars off the roads and didn’t reap any safety benefits,» said Lorraine M. Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. «These data expose our lack of an effective roadway safety culture. It is past time to address roadway safety holistically and effectively, and NSC stands ready to assist all stakeholders, including the federal government.»

States also experienced dramatic swings in fatalities from year to year, according to the NSC preliminary data. Estimates indicate that only nine states saw a drop in deaths: Alaska (-3%), Delaware (-11%), Hawaii (-20%), Idaho (-7%), Maine (-1%), Nebraska (-9%), New Mexico (-4%), North Dakota (-1%) and Wyoming (-13%).

Eight states experienced more than a 15% increase in the estimated number of deaths last year: Arkansas (+26%), Connecticut (+22%), District of Columbia (+33%), Georgia (+18%), Mississippi (+19%), Rhode Island (+26%), South Dakota (+33%) and Vermont (+32%).

A first step toward zero deaths is to Double Down on What Works, according to guidance released by the Road to Zero Coalition and NSC in 2018. Some of the immediate life-saving measures that would set the nation on a road to zero deaths include:

• Equitable implementation of roadway safety laws, policies, procedures, infrastructure improvements is sorely needed. Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by motor vehicle crashes, roadway policies, lack of access to public transportation and poor infrastructure, among other critical elements that make a safe system.
• Mandatory ignition interlocks for convicted drunk drivers, lowering state BAC levels to .05 and better education about the nature of impairment and when it begins
• Lowering – not raising – speed limits in accordance with roadway design, using a safe system approach
• Installation and use of automated enforcement to support safe speeds and adherence to traffic lights
• Laws banning all cell phone use – including hands-free – should extend to all drivers, not just teens. States with existing bans need to upgrade enforcement from secondary to primary.
• Seat belt laws should be upgraded from secondary to primary enforcement and restraint laws should extend to every passenger in every seating position, in all kinds of vehicles
• All new drivers under 21 – not just those under 18 – should adhere to a three-tiered licensing system for novice drivers
• Automated Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that have life-saving potential should be standardized and accelerated into the fleet
• Motorcycle helmet laws should be passed or reinstated
• Communities and municipalities should adopt comprehensive programs for pedestrian and bicyclist safety

Motor vehicle fatality estimates are subject to slight increases and decreases as data mature. The National Safety Council uses data from the National Center for Health Statistics, an arm of the CDC, so that deaths occurring within 100 days of the crash and on both public and private roadways – such as parking lots and driveways – are included in the Council’s estimates.

The National Safety Council has calculated traffic fatality estimates since 1913. Supplemental estimate information, including estimates for each state, can be found here.

About the National Safety Council

The National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for over 100 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace, roadway and impairment. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.

Connect with NSC:

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ⁱ National Safety Council defines «serious injuries» as those requiring medical attention.

 

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SOURCE National Safety Council

LOS ANGELES, March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —

The following is a statement from Joe Ridout, Director of Advocacy and Outreach for Knight Law Group.

Any day now, the Supreme Court will issue an opinion on a case that has widespread implications for consumer rights and corporate accountability. While the issues under consideration may sound esoteric (specific personal jurisdiction and product liability), the stakes are high: depending on how the Court rules, you may lose the right to sue a corporation in the courts of your own state.

The case, Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court¹, arose from two tragic vehicle crashes. In 2015, Markkaya Jean Gullett died when a tire on her Ford Explorer detreaded and rolled over. That same year, Adam Bandemer’s airbag failed to deploy while he was a passenger in a Crown Victoria, causing him to suffer a permanent brain injury.

However, the case is not about the automaker’s responsibility for defects that led to these tragedies. Rather, it considers Ford’s contention that consumers should be barred from suing the corporation from their home states in the first place.

Although Mrs. Gullett lived in Montana, bought her vehicle used in Montana, and the crash that took her life occurred in Montana, Ford argues that her estate has no right to sue in Montana, and that the more appropriate jurisdiction would be Washington. The reason? The Explorer was first sold in Washington. Huh? Likewise, Ford claims Mr. Bandemer cannot bring suit in his home state of Minnesota for injuries suffered in Minnesota involving a car purchased in Minnesota because an earlier owner of the car had purchased it in South Dakota. Through this bizarre logic, he would be forced to bring his claim in a South Dakota court.

According to this reasoning, even though the automaker sells identical vehicles, advertises, and maintains a network of dealerships and repair shops in both Montana and Minnesota, and the crashes occurred in those states, these factors are unimportant. Ford’s position is that anyone who suffers injuries and wishes to sue the automaker should have to relocate to the state where the vehicle was first sold, or two other alternatives: the state where the vehicle was manufactured, or to Delaware, where Ford is incorporated. In sports terms, consumers get nothing but away games, while Ford benefits from a permanent home-field advantage.

Here is what Ford proposes: John, a resident of Maine, buys a used vehicle in Maine that was sold new in Arizona two years before. He is injured in Maine, which makes him consider suing the manufacturer. Meanwhile, Mary, in Arizona, buys a used vehicle in Arizona that was first sold new in Maine. A wreck in Arizona compels her to file a lawsuit as well. Ford argues that John and Mary should each have to travel thousands of miles and swap locations in order to have their day in court, even though Ford sells identical models in each of their states, and each of them bought, drove, and suffered injuries in their Ford vehicles exclusively in their home state.

The automaker would face an identical scenario: defending itself in one Arizona court and in one Maine court. But by placing massive financial and logistical burdens on each prospective plaintiff, not to mention any potential witnesses, Ford will make it far more difficult for individual consumers to ever have their day in court, discouraging meritorious lawsuits, and tipping the scales of justice in its favor. Many (if not most) consumers will decline to exercise their legal rights in the face of such additional expense and inconvenience. Ford stands to make serious money by gaming the system, while shielding itself from accountability.

For several decades, corporations, realizing they are unlikely to win in court, have found the easiest and cheapest way they can prevail is by preventing people from accessing our court system in the first place. The Supreme Court, for its part, has done precious little to stop them, as we have seen through the Court’s acceptance of anti-consumer practices such as class-action waivers and forced arbitration.

But even though the Supreme Court has failed to overturn a pro-corporate lower court ruling in over four years,² it has been relatively evenhanded when it comes to upholding lower court victories by workers or consumers (which is the case here).

In a better world, Ford would realize that the surest path to fewer product liability cases will come from committing to improving its vehicle quality and handling safety defects responsibly, rather than attempting to manipulate the judicial process. Although we sorely miss Justice Ginsburg, who had most consistently stood up to big business on behalf of ordinary citizens,³ we need the Court to show that it remains capable of properly balancing the interests of health and safety against corporate profitability.

¹https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/19-368.html 
²https://www.theusconstitution.org/think_tank/big-business-powers-ahead-with-another-successful-term-at-the-roberts-court-2019-2020-term/#_ftn2
³https://empiricalscotus.com/2018/08/08/big-business/

Contact: Joe Ridout, joer@knightlaw.com

 

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SOURCE Knight Law Group, LLP